The Directors Guild of America (DGA) recently announced the winners ofits 1998 Student Film Awards for African-American, Asian/Pacific, Latinoand women filmmakers, with women making an exceptionally strong showingthis year. Four of the five winning filmmakers were women, as wereseveral of the honorable mentions. In addition, the majority of thewinning and honorable mention schools are in California. TheAfrican-American category featured winners from both the East and Westcoasts, with Shandra McDonald from Howard University winning for“Claudia Makes a Difference” and Christa Collins from San FranciscoState University winning for “She Smokes.” Honorable Mention went toPomona College ‘s Sylvain White for “Urban Short Circuit Mind Scrape.”

UCLA swept the Asian/Pacific section, with co-winners Fatimah TobingRony and David Kiang, winning for their films “Demon Lover” and “TunnelVision,” respectively. Honorable Mention went to USC ‘s Chesley Chen,for “Paper Birds.” The Latino category contained only two honorablementions, with one going to Kristy Guevera-Flanagan from San FranciscoState University, for “El Corrido de Cecilia Rios” and ColumbiaCollege-Hollywood ‘s Mauricio Ammirata, for “Little Warriors.” Two AFIstudents took honors in the Women ‘s category, with Barbara Schockwinning for “My Mother Dreams the Satan ‘s Disciples in New York,” andhonorable mention going to Marni Banack, for “John.”

Winners each receive $2,500 from the DGA and runners up receive 2,000feet of 16mm film from Kodak ‘s Worldwide Student Film Program, and are“designed to honor, encourage and bring attention to outstandingminority and women film students in California film schools and otherselect universities. The awards are set to be presented on Monday,November 9, at 7:30 PM at the DGA theater in Los Angeles, and are opento the public. To RSVP, please call 310-289-5300.

>> Bravo! For Michael Moore

Documentary filmmaker, author and working class spokesman Michael Moorewill return to television next Spring with a new series called “TheAwful Truth” on the Bravo network. The 12-part original series will runin weekly half-hour shows, combining comedy with non-fictionsituations. The show will be taped before a live audience and willinclude monologues similar to those appearing in his 1998 doc “The BigOne.” “I look forward to the same close and productive relationshipwith Bravo that I had on NBC and FOX — namely, produce a criticallyacclaimed show with a large cult following and be canceled after 12episodes,” says Moore. Moore ‘s show, the Emmy-Award winning “TVNation” which served up landmark television moments such as surroundingthe maker of the car alarm with a number of spouting alarms, was canceledafter a brief run in the mid-90 ‘s. Planned segments for “The AwfulTruth” include The Witch Hunt, where Moore takes Puritans down to D.C.to show Ken Starr how to conduct an affordable witch hunt and “A Giftfor Bill Gates,” in which Moore brings a weed-whacker as housewarminggift to Gates ‘ new $60 million pad. “The Awful Truth” will premiereexclusively on Bravo, Wednesday, April 14, 9:00 pm/ET. [Anthony Kaufman]

>> Lock, Stock Hits TV In Britain

According to The Hollywood Reporter, British box office hit, “Lock,Stock and Two Smoking Barrels,” written and directed by Guy Ritchie isbeing developed into a television series by Ginger Productions and thepics producer, SKA Films. Ritchie will exec produce the show, along withGinger Prods. topper Chris Evans, and Matthew Vaughn, the trade said.

>> Niederhoffer Grabs “Prozac”

According to Daily Variety, independent producer Galt Niederhoffer hasacquired the rights to Elizabeth Wurtzel ‘s best-selling book aboutdepression, “Prozac Nation.” While no writer or director is yetattached, the trade surmised that the film will likely be an indie, butsince the book has such a high profile, studio interest is also apossibility. The 23 year-old Niederhoffer will produce. The deal wasbrokered by Lydia Wills of the Artists Agency for Wurtzel, while PaulBrennan of New York-based Sloss Law Office, repped Niederhoffer.

>> IFP/Midwest Kicks off 7th Conference

The Independent Feature Project/Midwest launched their 7th FilmmakersConference yesterday in Chicago. Among the screenings yesterday wereChicago premiere’s of David McKay’s “The Lesser Evil,” RIchard Schenkmanand Jon Cryer’s “Went to Coney Island on a Mission from God…Be Back byFive,” and Adrian Lyne’s “Lolita.”